


Watershed/Transpicuous

by seraphichan



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Gen, chat time with erwin, slowly but steadily building the plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-02
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-10-14 00:59:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10525578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphichan/pseuds/seraphichan
Summary: The air stills immediately. Hange stops flipping through the book in her hand and Levi sits up straighter in his chair. Mike glances to Erwin who nods at him, then he pops his head into the hallway to make sure no one is around before closing the door with a clatter and locking it.Jean swallows. He isso dead.





	

“Tell me - what was it like aboard the Rogue?” Erwin asks.

It’s not a loaded question by any means, but Jean can make it one, depending on his answer.

“Armin’s doing fine,” he answers, deciding to risk it.

The air stills immediately. Hange stops flipping through the book in her hand and Levi sits up straighter in his chair. Mike glances to Erwin who nods at him, then he pops his head into the hallway to make sure no one is around before closing the door with a clatter and locking it.

Jean swallows. He is _so dead._

“And what makes you think I know, and would be concerned about, such a person?”

“You mean other than you trapping me in your office?”

Erwin smiles. “Armin...is my little brother.”

Jean opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again.

“You look like a dying fish,” Levi comments.

“I just...that’s not what I...he’s your _brother_?”

Erwin hums. “In those months aboard the Rogue, how many commercial or passenger ships did you pass?”

That question seems highly unrelated to their current conversation, but Jean recalls that Armin did the same thing to him.

It must run in the family.

“Several.”

“And what acts of piracy were committed against them?”

Jean takes a moment to think; is surprised when he realizes his own answer. “None.”

“From what I can tell, the Rogue and its crew have a code all their own. If anything, I would call them vigilantes more than pirates, as they only really raid those that are already guilty of doing the raiding of innocents first.”

“They pirate the pirates,” Jean says.

“Exactly.”

“Okay…” Jean furrows his brow “...but if that’s the case, what about all those ships we find - naval, commercial, passenger - that are sunk or marooned on a reef, the people aboard all dead? Their mark is there, their signature.”

“Forged there by other pirates as a ploy. If our attention is focused entirely on the Rogue, then they can do what they please without interruption. And there’s the possibility that the Rogue will be out of their hair if the navy catches them.”

“Is all of this fact or are you biased because of your brother?”

“Armin is, as I believe is the rest of the Rogue, much the same as we are. Determined to rid the waters of the most detrimental evils to mankind. Of course,” Erwin continues as Jean opens his mouth to speak, “I can’t be entirely sure. I obviously haven’t had a chance to ask. When Armin left, however, I am positive those were his thoughts and ideals, and that he would have sought people of like mindedness.”

“His thoughts and ideals could have changed, though.”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t think they have.”

“No.”

Jean crosses his arms and leans back in the chair. He’s been hit with a lot of information, but finds that it mostly makes sense. He can’t confirm or deny that other pirates are as hostile to the Rogue as, apparently, the Rogue is to them because they did not run into any in the few months he was on the ship. They did avoid any _other_ ships, though. Jean thought it was out of fear of getting caught, but maybe it’s as Erwin says - those aren’t their intended targets, so they leave them well enough alone.

But...if they are so similar, what’s the point in trying to catch them? Why not just let them continue to do what they have been doing? Perhaps it’s because they are too sporadic, which makes them too inefficient. From what Jean has observed, Erwin, as close to the vest as he likes to play things, has plans and strategies that he agonizes over creating and completing.

And maybe he wants the Rogue and its crew to act in accordance with them.

“You’re...a commodore now,” Jean starts slowly, “you can command a fleet, which can be made of any ship and crew you want, whether it’s military or mercenary. You don’t want to capture the Rogue to incarcerate them. You want to hire them. And you’re using Armin as your basis of merit.”

“Very good,” Erwin says. He rummages in his pocket and pulls out a small coin purse, throws it at Mike. Levi and Hange do the same.

“Told you he smelled smart.” Mike weighs them in his hand, then throws one of them at a startled Jean who just barely catches it. “For proving them all wrong. A difficult feat.”

Jean grins and Levi kicks his chair.

“So now what?” Jean asks.

“We do as we’ve always done,” Erwin answers, “chase the Rogue in hopes of finally catching them, and take out any other pirates we happen to meet along the way. Mike I want you to head to southern waters, Levi and Hange to the east and west, respectively. Jean, you and I will sail north.”

“I’m going...with you, sir?”

“Yes.” Erwin tilts his head. “Where did you think you would be?”

“Oh, I, uh…” Jean trails off and his cheeks go pink.

“Awww,” Hange coos, “he thought he was going to get to captain his own ship! That’s so cute!”

“I want my money back,” Levi snorts.

“Well, it’s not out of the realm of possibility,” Erwin muses, “but for now let’s just stick with first mate, alright?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent. We’ll set out tomorrow at first light.”


End file.
